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cerium definition

ce·rium (sir′ē əm)

noun

a gray chemical element, the most abundant of the rare-earth elements: it is used in alloys, electronic components, and nuclear fuels: symbol, Ce; at. no., 58
see the periodic table of elements in the Reference Supplement

Etymology: ModL < Ceres + -ium: so named (1804) by its discoverers, Baron Jöns Jakob Berzelius & W. Hisinger (1766-1852), Swed mineralogists, after the recently discovered asteroid, Ceres

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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